Collapsible decoy



(No Model.)

W. W. ROBERTS.

COLLAPSIBLE DEGOY.

Patented Nov. 20, 1894.

INVENTOH @gWL 14:?8858: 4C. 4.

NITED "rates PATENT Prion.

\VILLIAM IV. ROBERTS, OF NORTH BEND, NEBRASKA.

COLLAPSIBLE DECOY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 529,463, datedNovember 20, 1894.

Application filed March 26, 1894. Serial No. 505,171. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. ROBERTS, of North Bend, in the county ofDodge and State of Nebraska, have inventedcertain useful ImprovementsinCollapsible Decoys; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying 1drawings, which form apart of this specifica- This invention has relation to a new and novelimprovement in collapsible decoys.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a decoyembodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation showing thecollapsible skeleton frame extended and with the outer covering removed.Fig. 3 IS a front View of Fig. 2, while Fig. 4: shows a detail of thelocking mechanism as used in my device.

The aim of my invention is to provide a decoy that shall be light,portable and collapsible so that it can be stowed within a smallcompass.

To the main rod, B, which maybe of wood or be a hollow tube, I secure infront the plate, 0, provided with a suitable number of perforations uponthe face thereof, and to the rear of this plate are secured the U shapedcars, a, provided with the elongated slot, 2, and secured by means of atransverse pin, 3.

The plate, 0, which extends at right angles to the staff of the mainrod, B, is secured by means of these ears a, to said staff. \Vorkingloosely upon the rear end of this staff, B, is a tubular sleeve, 9,preferably of light sheet metal, which is provided with an elongatedslot, 10, and an angular slot, 11, terminating, in the rear, in theperforated disk, 13. This sleeve, 9, works loosely upon the staff, B.Extending from suitable openings within these plates, 0 and 13, is aseries of wire bars, 5, 5, there being any desired number of these bars.In my present invention I have simply shown six of these wire bars,which I secure to the plates, 0 and 13, by simply hooking their endsthrough the openings within said plates. Vol-king between the cars, a,is a neck rod, 7, provided at its lower end with the bifurcation, 8, andcentrally with the transversely extending pin, 3. This pin, 3, isadapted to work within the slot, 2, while the bifurcation is adapted towork over the pin, 3, when theneck of the duck is extended. At asuitable point I have secured to the bar or staff, 13, an ordinary Ushaped clip, 15, which is secured by means of a pin, 16, and provided atits lower end with the additional pin, 17. Working within the ears ofthis clip is the foot bar, E, provided with an elongated slot, 6,adapted to encompass the pin, 17, and the terminal opening, 20, adaptedto seat the pin, 16. To the staff, B, is further secured a pin, 12,which, however, is secured near the end of the staff and within theslot, 10, of the terminal sleeve, 9, as shown in Fig. 3. This skeletonwire frame is now covered with a fabric, tinted or colored in theimitation of a bird, such as a duck or goose, as desired. Extending fromthe head, 6, which is preferably of wood and secured to the neck rod, 7,is a suitable fabric, properly colored, and stufied with some lightmaterial which extends downward and connects with the body fabric. Thefoot bar, E, extends through the body fabric, the fabric being snuglysecured to this bar, E.

Now should it be desired to use the decoy it would simply be necessaryto press the tail disk, 13, toward the head portion so that the pin, 12,would slide along the slot, 10, until the angular portion, 11, wereencountered, so that this pin, 12, would find a seating within the slot,11. This pressing forward of this rear disk would force all the wirebars, 5, outward to snugly fill out the canvas body, A, of the bird,somewhat in the manner of an umbrella. The head, 6, which in beingpacked lies snugly upon the folded frame work, would then be'drawn outand the bifurcated end be permitted to find a seating upon the pin, 3,so as to hold the head in the proper position. The leg bar, E, wouldalso be drawn out and forced into a seating with the pin, 16,in whichcondition the decoy would be as represented in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 2 I have shown, in dotted lines, the decoy as arranged whenfolded, the dotted lines showing the extreme position of the adjustabledisk, 13.

ICO

It will be noticed that this decoy could be used both as a floating andas a land decoy.

The framework itself is so light that together with the inclosed air andfloatin g staff, B, and corks K K together with the balance leg, E, thedevice in proper position floats upon the water. The lower ribs, 5,5, ofthe frame, are provided with a series or set of cork floats, K, whichadd butslightly to the weight of the decoy and, should the water,through any means, flow into the decoy, these cork floats would preventthe decoy from swa-mping or sinking, the leg, E, as described, acting asa centerboard in steadying the decoy. V

In using the device upon the land the bar, E, is simply drawn out, asshown in Fig. 1, and forced into the ground.

The decoy when used as a float is not supported so much because of theair contained therein, as the coating, A, is not supposed to be airtight, but simply floats by virtue of its peculiar construction.

Should a shot or a number of shot pass through this fabric it would inno wise injure the utility of the device. Even should the water enterthe decoy when used as a float Jltlhetdevice would be sufficientlybuoyant to Now having thus described my said invention, what I claim asnew, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is

1. In a decoy, the combination, with a suitable supporting frame, of anouter casing or covering resembling a bird, said frame being adapted tobe distended or folded, all sub stantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. In a decoy the combination with a suitable supporting staif of a wireframe work secured to said staff, said frame work being adapted to bedistended or folded, and covered by a fabric in imitation of a bird, ofa bar movably secured to said stafi and adapted to be extended or foldedand adapted to be used as a leg or supporting bar, all substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

3. In a decoy the combination with a suitable staff of a permanent plateat one end, an adjustable plate secured by means of a sleeve to said barat the remaining end, of a series of wire bars connecting said permanentand adjustable plates, said sleeve being adapted to lock said adjustableplate when said wire frame is distended, and the fabric covering saidwire frame in imitation of a bird, and the folding leg bar secured tosaid staff, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a decoy the combination with a suitable staff of a fixed platesecured to 'said staff at one end, provided with a series of openingsand two slotted upwardly extending ears,of a neck rod adapted to be adjustably held within said slotted ears, a sliding sleeve provided with aslot and loosely working upon said stafi, a pin working within saidslot, saidsleeve being provided with a disk having suitable openings, ofa system of wire rods extending from said sleeve disk to said fixeddisk, of a clasp secured to said staff and movably and adjustablysupporting a leg bar, a fabric covering said Wire frame and neck rod inimitation of a bird, said neck rod being adapted to be held uprightwithin said supporting ears, while said wire bars are adapted to bedistended and locked by means of said sleeve and pin, all arrangedsubstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a decoy the combination of the following instrumentalities,to-wit: the bar, B, the plate, 0, provided with the slotted ears, a,secured to said stafi, B, a neck rod, 7, working within said slottedears and provided at its lower end with a bifurcation adapted to workover a pin, 3, secured to said slotted ears, a sleeve, 9, working uponsaid rod, B, and provided with the angular slots, 10 and 11, andprovided with the terminal plate, 13, having suitable perforations,thepin, 12, working within said slots, 10 and 11, the wire bars, 5,extending from said disk, 0, to 13, the clip, 15, provided with the pin,16, and the folding slotted leg, E, secured to said clip, 15, said wireframe being adapted to be folded and distended, all substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM W. ROBERTS.

\Vitnesses:

O. W. SMITH,

THOMAS KILLEEN.

